We couldn’t be prouder of Red Hook at the O’Connell Organization, and we want everybody out there to come visit us.
The first thing that our friends in Manhattan and Queens ask us when we invite them out is “How do I get there? Do I need to take that ferry to Ikea?”.
The NY Water Taxi Ikea Ferry is an AMAZING way to travel, and you will get to see the Red Hook Waterfront in all its grandeur while onboard, but most days taking the subway out to South Brooklyn is the way to go.
The nearby Smith-9th Street Station is serviced by the G and F lines, although construction and post Hurricane Sandy repairs will sometimes cause one or the other line to be interrupted. When planning a trip, it’s wise to consult with the MTA at their website- mta.info for up to the minute schedule changes.
The great thing about the MTA site and their “trip planner” application is that you can plug in a destination address, say 480-500 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (the Red Hook Stores) followed by your own starting point, and it will calculate where and when you need to be to make your Subway and or Bus connections.
Smith-9th Street Station is the tallest stop in the MTA’s system at some 88 feet elevation, is built entirely of concrete, and it is just finishing up a 22 month long period of renovation. There are escalators inside, but the place is not handicap accessible.
When you get off the train, head away from the Gowanus Canal in a westerly direction towards Court Street.
That’s where you’ll find the stop for both the B57 and B61 buses.
You get a free transfer here, as long as the same MetroCard you boarded the train with is used. You can easily walk the distance to the waterfront, but a free anything in New York City is something you should always accept.
Mitch Waxman, our photographer, actually lives over in Astoria, Queens. The journey he described for the day these shots were gathered involved riding the M to the G and then boarding the B57 bus, with a door to door travel time of a little over 45 minutes.
There are a number of destinations offered by the two Bus routes, but the name of this site is “Red Hook Waterfront” and that’s where we’re headed.
Beard Street is where you can catch the B61 back to Downtown Brooklyn, but since you just got here… take Beard in a northern direction and head toward the biggest building you can see.
That’s the Red Hook, Merchant, and Beard and Robinson Stores at 480-500 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, NY.
The Red Hook Stores are also the home of the Fairway Supermarket, one of our favorite tenants here at the O’Connell Organization. They often organize weekend events, including one this weekend (February 1, 2014).
Fairway is not the sort of supermarket you normally see in NYC, with its expansive inventory of the fresh and healthy. They have a deli counter and maintain a tented waterfront seating area with tables and chairs. Since you’ve been traveling – you might want to grab a coffee and a sandwich and take a load off.
There’s a lot to explore at Fairway, it’s no ordinary market, and they take full advantage of the enormous footprint which our 1870’s vintage Red Hook Stores building offers. Pictured above is the cooking oil department, lit by yellow bulbs which won’t damage the bottled fluids. You don’t see that at your corner Bodega.
All of us who work at O’Connell HQ are huge fans of Brooklyn Crab, and not just for the drink specials. The food rocks.
During the summer there’s also Mini Golf and Cornhole.
In answer to the question – “How do I get to Red Hook”, we always reply “Once you’re there, you’ll never want to leave.”
So, what do you say, want to come over?
